Stress is commonly counted to the social factors associated both with the development of our global society. Life style particularly in the so-called industrial countries becomes faster and faster and consequently the number of people complaining to suffer from lack of mental performance, alertness and contentment is rising.
In medical terms, stress is the disruption of homeostasis through physical or psychological stimuli. Stressful stimuli can be mental, physiological, anatomical or physical reactions. Responses to stress include adaptation, psychological coping such as stress management, anxiety, and depression. Where stress enhances function (physical or mental, such as through strength training or challenging work) it may be considered eustress. Persistent stress that is not resolved through coping or adaptation may lead to escape (anxiety) or withdrawal (depression) behavior. The fulcrum of the stress response is a disparity between experience and personal expectations and resources. A person living in a fashion consistent with personally-accepted expectations has no stress even if the conditions might be interpreted as adverse from some outside perspective—rural people may live in comparative poverty, and yet be unstressed if there is a sufficiency according to their expectations. If there is chronic disparity between experience and expectations, stress may be relieved by adjustment of expectations to meet the ongoing experiences or conditions.
The neurochemistry of the general adaptation syndrome is now believed to be well understood, although much remains to be discovered about how this system interacts with others in the brain and elsewhere in the body. The body reacts to stress first by releasing the catecholamine hormones, epinephrine (adrenaline EP) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline), and the glucocorticoid hormones, cortisol and cortisone. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) is a major part of the neuroendocrine system, involving the interactions of the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the adrenal glands. The HPA axis is believed to play a primary role in the body's reactions to stress by balancing hormone releases from the adrenaline-producing adrenal medulla, and from the corticosteroid-producing adrenal cortex. Stress can significantly impact many of the body's immune systems, as can an individual's perceptions of, and reactions to, stress. The term psychoneuroimmunology is used to describe the interactions between the mental state, nervous and immune systems, as well as research on the interconnections of these systems.
The problem underlying the present invention has therefore been to provide new compositions, particular food products comprising botanical ingredients for the stimulation of moods, improvement of cognitive performance and in particular for fighting initial symptoms of stress.